Mari Carr's Pub Crawl

Welcome to the seventh stop in the Cocktales Pub Crawl. I recently started exercising again. I did this for two reasons. One—my ass was getting huge. And two, I realized that I could read my Kindle while walking on the treadmill, therefore catching up on my enormous TBR pile. First day out, I opened up a Kelly Jamieson book. I wanted to read Rule of Three bad! Kelly did not disappoint—she’s an auto-buy for me. That gal can write the hell out of a book. So…today’s drink was selected with my dear Kelly in mind. She’s Canadian. Did you know?

For this seventh round, let’s try a Canadian Breeze. Remember to write down that drink title to be entered in the grand prize drawing. Details about the crawl can be found on my website (www.maricarr.com).

1 ½ oz. Canadian Whiskey

1 tsp. Pineapple juice

1 tbsp. Lemon juice

½ tsp. Maraschino

Shake with ice and strain into old-fashioned glass over ice cubes. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a cherry.

This week’s pub crawl is being held to celebrate the release of Screwdriver on Tuesday, March 20. It’s is available for preorder atAmazonandBarnes and Noble. The Cocktales books are about four friends who own a combination bar/bookstore in Portland called Books and Brew (this is my DREAM business). Each woman runs a different aspect of the business—bartender, bookkeeper/office manager, the marketing/events coordinator, and the bookstore gal.

Today, I thought I’d give you a wee little sneak peek at the very last book in the series. Screaming Orgasm isn’t even written yet, though I’ve started a bit of it. Wanna see some? Top secret like? Oh—and pardon my unedited mess.

Reaching for a tumbler, she filled the glass with ice, then reached for the Glenlivet Scotch. It was Elias’ favorite drink. She never drank usually, but tonight she felt the need for something stronger than her usual Shirley Temple.

“What are doing?”

Elias’s deep voice cut through the quiet and startled her. “Oh.”

He rose slowly and walked to the bar. She admired his smooth elegance. She’d never met a man quite like Elias. A research scientist at a local facility, everything about him fascinated her. Stephanie teased her about her crush on him, but what she felt for Elias felt too strong to be given such a juvenile description.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He claimed a stool at the bar across from her. Even though he’d been coming to Books and Brew since they’d opened, she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him sitting at the bar. He always opted for the out-of-the-way leather chair.

“You didn’t. I mean, I knew you were here. I think I was zoning out there a bit. What did you say?”

“I asked what you were doing.”

She looked down at the glass of Scotch she’d poured. “Having a drink.”

He gave her a slight smile. “You don’t drink.”

She shrugged. “I do tonight. Thought I’d see what all this fuss is about this Scotch of yours.”

He didn’t speak as she lifted the glass, silently toasting him, before taking a sip.

She gasped. “Oh my God. That’s terrible.” She put the glass down, quickly looking around for something to kill the taste.

Elias’ smile grew and she realized she didn’t see him smile often. It wasn’t that he was miserable. Quite the opposite, he was very nice, genuinely friendly. While she’d always found him attractive, the full-fledged grin took his face from handsome to freaking hot in an instant.

“I should have warned you. It’s an acquired taste.” He rose and walked to the end of the bar, gesturing at the hinged entrance. “May I?”

She nodded. He lifted the wood and joined her. It was a night for all sorts of odd occurrences.

Elias reached for a clean glass and began to mix together several ingredients. Stirring, he handed her the new drink. “Given your love of coffee, I think you may find this more to your liking.”

She raised the glass with caution and sniffed at it. Elias’ face proved he was amused by her reticence.

“Trust me,” he said.

It was all she needed to hear. She took a drink. The liquor was smooth and creamy and quickly erased the lingering foul taste of the Scotch. “Delicious. What’s it called?”

Elias moved a step toward her. Jayne’s breath caught in her chest. They’d never been so close or alone. “Screaming Orgasm.”

She swallowed. Because of his nearness, Jayne was forced to look up. She’d known he was tall, but she’d never realized how great the disparity in their heights until now. He topped her short, five foot four frame by at least half a foot, maybe more.

Yet another big disparity between them. Another roadblock. She’d been surprised to learn from Stephanie that Elias was forty-three to her thirty. While her friends perceived that age difference as too great, Jayne wasn’t sure she agreed.

“Screaming Orgasm,” she repeated. She gave him a sad smile. “Never had one of those before.” There was definitely a double meaning behind her response. In the past, she never would have made such a revealing remark to him, but tonight, she felt too weary to shield her words.

His eyes narrowed slightly and she flushed.

Shit. Way to go too far, Jayne.

“I mean—”

“I know what you mean, Jayne.”

Now how about a little contest? Leave a comment here on Kelly’s blog by 6 a.m. (EST tomorrow, March 19) and one winner will receive their choice of an ebook from my backlist. The question is a naughty one. What’s your most wicked fantasy? Kelly’s Rule of Three is about ménage. Screaming Orgasm will contain a bit of light BDSM. What presses your hot buttons?